<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Strands by Celstese</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27988497">Strands</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celstese/pseuds/Celstese'>Celstese</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Col Cuore in Gola (1967), Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Blood, Constructed Reality, Family, Gen, Implied Relationships, Italy, Jack Dies, Museums, Not Canon Compliant, Other, Pasta, Post-Episode: s03e13 Last of the Time Lords, Post-Episode: s12e02 Spyfall Part 2, Post-Series 03 AU: Children of Earth (Torchwood), Restaurants, Temporary Character Death - Jack Harkness, Time Loop</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:54:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,786</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27988497</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celstese/pseuds/Celstese</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After going to Italy to help solve a apparent murder Jo, the Doctor and the Master amongst others seem to end up in a groundhog day loop. Its not all what it seems however. Crossover with 1967 film Col cuore in gola.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Fiftieth Masterversary Big Bang</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prolouge</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Art in chapter 2 by NotMandip on tumblr and ao3</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jo and The Doctor go to italy to investigate a death unaware the events that will follow.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>At the end of the river where boats lay in wait  is a small town in Italy overlooked by massive  hills.   While the  bright sun rose up above the soft blue sky various shades of russet  appeared like a hazy mist vanished  slowly. It was  untouched by the passages of time. The scent of fresh bread and the wide open sea filled the sky, looking  idyllic as a gift shop postcard. The buildings new and old standing side by side were all as narrow as they had always been  in the past. Strong hearty trees covered the landscape on the hills while fancy summer homes were in abundance.  Not all was perfect as it seemed. Located near  the heart of the town, an English embassy, one of the worst things imaginable was waiting inside for whoever came into work first there. It wouldn't be  discovered until the next day but there was the  dead body of an older man inside  the western corridor. Whoever that  did it had left him to die in his office of his wounds.</p><p> </p><p>The aquamarine carpet was heavily stained with  the man's blood. The body had been split right open with the only odd thing being that his eyes and liver were non existent. When it happened again this time with different things missing next door, at an embassy of  much larger importance belonging to England, it seemed like there was a bigger problem than someone who had a simple grudge. This was  premeditated murder. The man's identity and others who shared the same fate had a common similarity. They were all ambassadors for their respective countries. This was not a business where people died that often, much less in  close proximity to the other days apart.</p><p> </p><p>Their work from day to day was nothing really special . Sure, some days there was excitement , but when you boiled down what they did to the bare bones, they were paper pushers. It was a very cushy job at the very least. Meanwhile they did more of that then the ambassador. The blond Englishman had tried to do the right thing. He wasn't sure if what he did counted. Either way his life would have more security .  He would do almost anything for his little sister, even if she could take care of herself. It was hard to differentiate that from what she did now, even if it was never proven what she did in a court of law. He had no reason to suspect she did it, but he didn't know what to think about much of anything anymore.</p><p> </p><p>Here I was in the white console room pacing back and forth thinking to myself all by myself. Many thoughts were going through my head, some things completely inconsequential. I could now leave this planet, but I didn't really want to go. I had grown fond of Unit and Jo. It felt like a welcome respite. I decided to step outside the old girl and found my old friend the brigadier. I sighed when it dawned on me why he was here. I didn't know what had happened just yet, but I knew today wouldn't be a day of rest and relaxation. It hadn't been a good week and it was only going to get worse.</p><p>What he told me just seemed to justify those feelings I was having.  A heinous crime like that was never a good thing. We did talk for a short time for a few minutes before I had to call Jo. I might as well look for birthday presents while I was there.  The one time I had met Kate she had reminded me of all people my brother. Most four year olds can't talk about oil paintings for hours on end. It wasn't a bad thing but it was directed at everyone during take your child to work day.I started to dial and when I got my response the voice of a tired Jo who sounded groggy I spoke slowly.<br/>
“Jo you're going to need to pack. We're being sent to Italy. Ill explain the rest on the way”</p><p> </p><p> At the same time that the doctor was talking with the brigadier about what was going on, the master was all alone by himself in the vortex, walking back and forth in their console room as they pondered about where to go next his thoughts ringing through his head beats of drums still in the background. They didn't have anything planned at the moment currently and, for once, they had become stuck on where to go. Out of desperation they pulled down the blue switch on the console and took off for parts unknown through the waves of time.</p><p>Stepping out of Bessie, Jo Grant was glad she had not brought  her usual choice of footwear. The hot weather was causing the ground to be steaming to dangerous degrees. A simple pair of sandals worked just fine, especially alongside a plain blouse with a large  belt and short skirt. While this was the first time she had been to this part of the country, it was not the first time she had come to Italy. It had been when she was still in school that she had found herself on a small island that was not part of the mainland, but whose beauty she was deeply amazed by at the time. This feeling somewhat faded in time, but she still carried those strong emotions within her. She had many fond memories of Sicily.</p><p>The doctor, though he didn't say anything on the way there, was not internally optimistic about this trip, not like Jo was. Thick velvet in warmer weather wasn't the best option but he found a thinner lightweight jacket in the tardis wardrobe. He might have had too many as a matter of fact. This also wasn't the first time he had been in Italy. While he was in his first body he had arrived with Ian,Barbara and Vicki in Rome. It was not one of his finest hours when he looked back on it. He wasn't sure if he would still do some of the same things if it happened again. He had not chosen to take the slow route when he had first regenerated into this body. The choice had been taken from him by his own people. This wasn't the case anymore, but still he stayed. He knew he would leave eventually, however, he felt content on earth at the moment.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. chapter one</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The loops start to get noticed and the doctor and jo find themselves sitting at a table with the master</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The room was quiet. In fact it was too quiet  . The master had found themselves sitting at a round table in the corner watching people pass by in the restaurant. Their thoughts weren't that much of an annoyance  at the moment. He felt there was something wrong with time considering he didn't remember how he had gotten there, but he could clearly see the food on the plate. It was a dish of chicken primavera which he had not had before. It was lightly seasoned. Then he heard the front door open and in came his old friend and Miss Grant. He assumed they were hungry or they had found out he was here somehow. He didn't have a clue for once what was even going on. He was straight out of luck to his dismay for the first time in ages. Usually he was five steps ahead of anyone, scheming to the point of excess. Even if it didn't always succeed, one could not say he wasn't prepared ,even if he always failed in the end when he faced the doctor.<br/>
He had come to realize the floors were made out of  Greystone older than the rest of the building. The walls were cream with olive green trimming  near the floor where no one would rarely look. It all seemed rather pointless to him. His eyes crinkled as he stayed in his seat, watching The Doctor and Miss Grant. Perhaps  he would be able to talk to them to see if they noticed what was going on. He would like to be able to talk about different things than he had previously, though, he doubted she would have the capacity to remember the previous  loops unless she wasn't fully human. He doubted that,  however, looking human doesn’t discount that possibility. Either way, having company in this place would work perfectly well with him.<br/>
The quiet was maddening. It was the third time he had gotten the same pasta and he was getting sick of it. Not everything was playing out as it had in the last loops. He didn't know why there were less people in the restaurant this time. Miss Grant and the doctor came in again, seemingly not noticing what was going on. The Doctor he would have thought might have noticed something, but he hasn't. His time senses might have been better, perhaps, or maybe he was the target and this was just an aftershock somewhere else. The two of them still wore the same clothes as the previous loops which didn't take that long to take note of. Though of all places to be stuck inside a time loop this was not what comes to mind in the very slightest. <br/>
Jo yawned while her head arched back . The air was warm, but not uncomfortably so. She had just gotten out of Bessie when she noticed the doctor was still inside the yellow roadster. She was curious about what she was seeing. She could see it on his face, something had him troubled. "What's wrong?", she asked him worryingly. As he got out of the car, he sharply said, "This isn't the first time we've arrived. I don't know how long it's been, but I can feel when I'm in a time loop after a while. The fact  is the last thing I remember  before being this is stepping into a restaurant and finding The Master eating a plate of chicken primavera. I never was able to talk to him".<br/>
This time the door opened with a louder bang and I looked ahead. The Doctor's face was different. So was the way he walked in a rushed manner.  He looked confused or perhaps perplexed. His light grey curls stuck to his face. Perhaps he didn't forget this time. Miss Grant was not far behind though her face was only slightly different this time. It didn't look to me like she had remembered what happened, but it was likely  he had told her something was going on around them. My old friend may lie to his companions at times, but something like this can't stay secret for long. He's always had trouble doing that for long periods of time, though, there have been exceptions to that. There are things I only know happened because I was three. If I wasn't I don't know if I would have guessed what he could do by accident. He then, after narrowly bumping into a server carrying food to a different table, made his way through the small restaurant to me. By the time they had reached the table, Miss Grant looked the same as she did entering the restaurant.<br/>
They both pulled out the red lined golden chairs and sat at the oak table. In my hands I held a glass of red wine. It may not do the same thing as ginger but I enjoyed it more for the taste. It tasted like bitter juice which was fine. They had previously left the bottle at the table so I had just poured a second glass shortly before his arrival once more. </p><p>“So  welcome back.”  He grinned at me across the table while Jo was confused. What he had said in the midst of trying to explain what was happening was more perplexing. Jo slowly opened her mouth staring straight ahead at the master stating “ What do you mean by that? I know we've been here before even if I didn't remember but this is the first time we've been in this country  in the first place not the second.”<br/>
I laughed nervously before speaking “I might have started a fire in Rome while I was still a young man while the roman empire was still in power. It's not my finest moment but I have been in Italy before even if its not this town”<br/>
“It figures you'd get into trouble like that. It sounds rather normal compared to what we get up to with Unit. Were there any aliens?” Jo looked curious.<br/>
“No just humans and greed.” I looked down into the bottom of the glass in my left hand.</p><p>
  
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Art by NotMandip</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Some talking in the restaurant and introspection. Jo doesn't forget when time resets once more.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The server was a tall, rail-thin Italian man who wore a  green apron over a pair of  slacks and a black shirt. His hair was short, curly, and smelled of the sea. In his hands was a notepad and a red pen from his right pocket. He walked towards the corner seat on the other side of the room, away from the young  lady who’s order he had just taken, and who was sitting by a window overlooking the sea in its blue splendor. Over there were three people sitting, only one of whose lips he could see moving from where he was currently at as he walked towards them. They wore a wine colored dress shirt under a black suit jacket on top of a black slacks and a pair of brown shoes. His hair was mostly olive black but was starting to grey along the edges. His visible companions were a young woman and an older man whose hair had already gone completely grey.</p><p>A sneeze rang out this time. There was a heavy silence before Jo spoke, saying “Excuse me” to the doctor who was eating out from a bowl of soup with a silver spoon.<br/>“Maybe I'm allergic to something in this dish. I haven't had this dish before .That or I've got a cold”. Jo had continued on looking rather embarrassed as she spoke.<br/>The doctor’s response was quick and sensible. <br/>“It's  alright Jo”</p><p> </p><p>The cook felt glad. They stood tall in his white jacket as he looked upon the finished dish of salmon. It was garnished with a sprig of a green leaf and some olive oil to fry. The fish was breaded but that was intentional. Normally, in a place like this, you would think there would be more people inside than there were, but he did not question the fact that he was the only person in the kitchen. He reasoned it was due to it being a slow day, but that wasn't strictly accurate. He had been the only cook for a good chunk of time. Slowly but surely his brain was becoming more a block of swiss cheese than a block of cheddar. He didn't think about how it got cleaned or anything like that. He wasn't really well up there anymore, thought, that wasn’t his fault.<br/>He spoke confidently as he twirled the pasta on his fork, " If this keeps happening over and over again Doctor, I might as well get a little adventurous from time to time in what I get here. Eating the same dish every time I come in is boring. As to how long this has been going on I've eaten six dishes that I can remember so far, so that's the bare minimum I would say”.<br/>The restaurant's kitchen, which lay behind the curtain, was a tiny, little thing. It was in decent shape, however, there was a problem. “Where did  everyone go?”, Jo said worriedly as she took in the sight of the large empty kitchen where the finished food was still sitting, waiting to be taken out to the paying customers. Kneeling down and grabbing a handful of something, the master uttered, “Somehow at least some of them disintegrated while we were eating. I would say all of them but one might be on a smoke break and hasn't discovered this yet. I doubt it though. Whether this happened all the other times is irrelevant now, where did that server go?”. At that moment, the doctor's face went white as a bed sheet. <br/>“I have a sinking feeling they might be involved. If they came inside wouldn't they have called the authorities about this? They did enter this room and never come out.” The doctor felt anger simmering inside themselves. Jo listening to what they were saying reached a different conclusion.<br/>“That or they are  one of the piles on the floor. All we know is they were the last one we say come in here but that only proves they didn't come out. They could have walked in on the culprit. The culprit cant be from this place I'm certain at the very least.”</p><p>Sometimes he wondered to himself, thinking about how he had even gotten to this point. When the two of them were young, sure they weren't perfect, but they always had each other. He couldn't for the life of him remember why they had drifted apart in the first place. The drums certainly didn't help either of them in the slightest. The pounding got stronger after each regeneration. Sometimes he feared they would one day consume his sanity. He felt he was still stable right now, but many insane people thought the same. He wanted The Doctor to join. He even propositioned The Doctor with ruling the universe together. It didn't work though. Maybe if he asked again it would be different, but he knew deep down that wouldn't change. He wanted them to be together again, like they had been when they were younger, but he didn't always see it clearly. It was a long struggle that he had been inside himself but he didn't ask for help. He felt some fear however. The Master was in deep. It was a crawling chaos.</p><p>His knees felt cold, for once, as he hit the water. His clothes would be soaked, but that was the least of his worries right now. Before he succumbed, he found himself feeling distressed at the series of events that had led him to this point in the first place. It had seemed to be the right path. The trail went in directions and, in the end, they went the wrong way. At least that’s what he guessed.<br/>The moon was shining brightly over The Doctor's  worried face. The Master's face, for once, looked scared as he fell into the salty sea. Jo leapt into the harbor to help. The doctor couldn't swim, but she could. Then, as she swam past fishes of various colors, some of which she had never heard of previously, she thought she heard a loud screech. She had just managed to start dragging the master to the surface with all of her might when time reset itself to where they arrived in this same town with the same early sunlight shining down on them once more.<br/>This time, though, Jo had noticed when it happened again. “Why are we here inside Bessie again?” Jo panicked. She wondered if The Master would remember that. The transition for her was jarring enough. “This is the fifth time we’ve been in Bessie again .You shouldn't be able to notice your human unless..” The Doctor trailed off. “Unless what?”. “Traveling in  the time vortex even with shielding can make some more sensitive to time, but it's not well documented as staring into it is. To be frank I don't really know why, at least at the moment”. Jo started, “Well if it's really happened more than once at least now we both know where to find them at least.” “Correct.”<br/>I looked around the room and then I noticed it. “Doctor” I whispered. Both of them turned his head. “The servers' socks are different. Could that mean something at all?” An apprehensive look appeared on The Doctor's face. “Perhaps so Jo. You might be on to something.” “ I don't know but  maybe. Something we've done differently could have caused a ripple effect. They might be remembering as well.” The Master pondered.<br/>Now that she really looked at the server this time, she picked up on something she had not seen before. Hanging from their apron pocket was a metal chain and a metal stick of some kind poked out, sitting sideways. She felt a foreboding presence and that's where it hit her. It was coming from that olive brown man. His warm brown eyes just stared right through her body. At least that's what it felt like. Did he remember any of the previous loops, she wondered. He seemed to have recognized her despite the face that they should have never met before. It was strange like that.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The doctor meets a familiar face. There is a visit to a museum.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Out of the shadows they came towards them slowly. It was night time so it was hard to see, but to Jo they seemed to be extremely large and furry. The Doctor and The Master's eyes, however, could see very clearly what they were, but only the Doctor knew what it was. “Of all things it had to be the yeti'' he shouted. “I thought yetis were in the Himalayas, not Italy!” Jo said, panicking while holding a white umbrella she had grabbed from the ground. It wasn't in the best shape, but she wasn't thinking of using it as an umbrella so that was fine by her. A loud bang rang through the air as Jo tossed the umbrella at the yeti at a high velocity. To her dismay it had only stopped them for a second, but they kept moving towards them with a visible hole in their midsection. “Doctor, do you have your sonic screwdriver? I imagine it would help a great deal. I have something in my pocket that may help. Honestly, any idea is a good one at this point.” The doctor's left eye twinkled as he grinned. With a quick change of settings he aimed it at one of them as they walked backwards away from the yeti. A pulse came out and the yeti it had hit  now resembled a piece of grilled cheese more than it did a piece of technology.<br/>He was apprehensive as he whiffed through his massive pockets. The master took a deep breath and then, with a flick of his wrist, the yeti was now as tiny as a button. He motioned his hands by his sleeves at his wrists as if he was wiping dust off of them. Then, looking to his left, at his friends if he was being honest to himself, he motioned to their carcass he uttered something along the lines of “Shall we investigate?”.<br/>He knelt down, smelled the mess, and instantly recoiled away from it. Jo held her nose with her fingers as she pulled off the singed fur covering to gaze upon the mechanics. The back compartment opened up and they all examined it. “Nothing looks different from the last time I did this which means one of three things.”, The Doctor said, breaking the silence. “Which is?” The Master asked. “It's the great intelligence upping the anti  from last time or a new foe or  something or someone else. Either way as it just looks like a robot in here still I can't prove anything.” The Doctor sounded disappointed. He wasn't alone in that feeling.</p><p>None of them found anything of particular note after the quick fight and The Master sighed as time re ordered itself once more and he was back where he started, again. No matter what they did to find out what was going on it didn't work. In the corner of his eye he thought he saw something, but when he looked there was nothing there at all. Maybe the time loops were getting to him, making him see things. Honestly, after everything, he didn't know anymore. Eventually, at any point in time, his actions could become irreversible once more and he would be free from this eternal loop to roam the cosmos once more. He was starting to get homesick and it was getting on his nerves.</p><p>They walked through the building's corridors with great trepidation. The ominous feeling hanging over them gave the impression that something bad could happen to any of them at any time The things that could happen in this scenario would not be pleasant in the slightest. If they regenerated would they stay the same person if time reversed themselves or would their mind stay the same while in the old body? Something like this has never happened before which terrified the two time lords.<br/>The sculptures were simply marvelous. She was in awe of them to put it mildly. She didn't even notice what the doctor was doing at the moment. Even if she did have a problem with it, she wouldn’t have had the ability to care. Especially with that hypnosis thing. Just before his tongue was about to be inside the doctor's mouth it happened again. The doctor groaned as he found himself in Bessie again. Jo just looked around and sighed. “So not even changing locations did anything. I don't feel like that's a good thing.” Jo was very worried. “Yes that is.” the doctor was very tired.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jack enters the picture and a secret door is found.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He stared from atop the hill overlooking the fish market once more for what felt like the fifteenth time. He was also alone ago which he had become accustomed to. At this point the designs he had for this town felt futile for it was in his way. Anything he did the only ones who would know were the ones he cared for in his own odd way. If he hadn't cared for the doctor in any way he wouldn't have bothered with this planet. He was the one hype fixation on it as a young person at school like the both of them once were. He closed his eyes for a minute and thought which way to go this time . He opened them and started to walk towards the government embassy The Doctor had mentioned, but he had never made it to this early in the previous loops. At least he still had his shoes. He was without them for most of the time the previous loop. That was not the most fun he had in any of them. At least they weren't aching anymore.</p><p>The building's gate was cordoned off with police tape but that was easy to dodge. At the side of the building was a guard watching the exit but they weren't prepared for mind manipulation. The man walked to the side and easily let the master walk inside no questions asked forgetting anything had occurred once he was inside the embassy. It was all in the subconscious now.<br/>It was inside exactly what you'd expect from government buildings expect due to its age there were figures carved in the corners of the molding some of which looked eerily familiar. He squinted trying to remember where he'd seen that face. That it looked dirty didn't help matters. After a while the master for the first time in a while gave up on it. He'd figure it out eventually when he was much older and looked into a mirror. Years later those eyes wouldn't change much. Even with age they didn't. Then he found where it happened. The aura inside was strange like something otherworldly took place. All the evidence that was seemingly left behind told a different story. It was a contradiction. He sometimes forgot how slow these things could be in the past but he guessed considering they hadn't moved the body they were not done. Then he saw something in the corner of his eye. He didn't turn his head  but he quickly felt a sharp pain. When he awoke he was  back at the start but this time the wound when he looked down was still there but it wasn't bleeding. Something is very wrong about this he thought to himself. That shouldn't be possible. Whatever was going on was worse than what he first thought. Even if he could write anything down what would be the point. It would all reset like a corrupted game file and they'd have to start all over again. At this rate he was scared of the unknown.<br/>His feet one by one descended from the top of the tall hill heading towards the seafront feeling it was the right thing to do.<br/>His face began to heat up when he realized what The Doctor had just yelled at him as they ran to rescue Jo who had found danger once again. It was not something he would have thought he still felt about him after all these years. The fact was he felt the same, but saying anything would be counterproductive. His romantic feelings could wait. It had for more than 400 years as well as all of his old regenerations. His previous assumption of non mutual pinning was irrelevant to Miss grant’s safety. “Let's worry about this later!” he said running off towards the bathroom further in the building where he heard her scream. The doctor wasn't long behind him in his shoes making smacking noises as they ran alongside.<br/>By the time they got there everything was fine but she was still shaken. “Jo what happened?” The master said quicker. <br/>“Blood came out of the facets when I turned them on just like the horror movie I saw at that cinema before I started working at unit. It made me panic. What even is going on here and do either of you have any idea what could do that which isn't something from this planet?” Jo wasn't happy at the turn of events the day had taken. The response her companions got didn't make her feel great.<br/>“A few options spring to mind that would have the capability but that never struck me as something they would do.” The Doctor's face looked a bit terrified as he spoke.<br/>The masters words were slightly different “There is technology that could pull that off from the future as well. I would need to take readings. Wed need to see if that was the only room affected.” <br/> “I'll check that water fountain.” The doctor replied. <br/>None of them got the chance to do this before taking any readings. There was a reset when they had hit something that could lead to an out of this mess they were all in. At least they would find out they weren't the only ones remembering after going a different way the next one they experienced together.<br/>The promise he had made to him long ago while they were still at the academy wearing those ridiculous robes had been long since forgotten by The Master. He followed it subconsciously however. He would protect the doctor as much as he could from dying. His hearts ached for him even now for his love was vast and an unstoppable force so he would do all that he could. He still desired him, but it didn't take away from the fact that man was a fool. He wasn't the same as he had first been when they were young but that large spirit of his was the same. He didn't miss the days they had to cover up an unfortunate accident however. That was not one of their more enjoyable moments together.<br/>There was no noise made when Jack Harkness came into existence several feet above the beach. He shouted loudly as he quickly fell to his demise. Blood seeped out from the giant hole in his chest created after he was attacked from behind. Knowing he would be fine later didn’t lessen any of the pain. As Jack closed his eyes he swore he could hear a voice in the distance but he wasn't sure. How he'd explain this he just didn't know just yet. The black void he would welcome once more and her was resigned to that at this point. This wasn't at all what he saw. Sure that's what he always remembered but the mortal mind can't comprehend  the truth. What was there looked different to those who saw it. It was built by belief what remained.<br/> There had been a loud voice Jo heard cry out in pain nearby so she ran towards it, The Doctor trailing after her slightly out breath. She jerked to a stop at the scene before diving into it full-force. Jo Grant may not have had medical training, but she knew the basics. She checked for a pulse and found none. Her hand went over her mouth in shock, but then, before her eyes, the man's wound slowly started to heal. Wherever the man was from she knew he certainly wasn't earth, even if he looked similar to her. That must have hurt, she thought to herself. Healing something like that, however, she wasn't sure how much energy would have been used, but if there was a lot there was always going back to that restaurant for the sixth time. She didn't know why they had gone this way this time, but it was getting clearer after looking across at the other side of the river there was more wrong going on in this timeline than time itself. The doctor had caught up shortly as it dawned on her what the little pieces on the shore were. “Why did it have to be fish?” Jo groaned on the inside, but then she looked down. There was no way she could get the blood stains off her feet without going into the river's water, but she felt she had no other choice. It was the only solution. She took a quick few steps and got that over with. The Doctor was looking at the body when they jumped up taking in the fresh air. The Doctor winging his eyebrow asked  “Young man what happened to you? Do you know what you are?” Jack looked and gasped. “Doctor you're so young!” That was not something he had expected to hear from someone who felt like a giant ball of string. <br/>Jo looked back and felt some relief knowing that . “Are you alright ? It looked like it was painful.” she asked the stranger anxiously. “Yeah I think I am alright now.” Jack was very much not alright, but he didn't want the stranger to worry about him. Sure his body was fine, but his mind would need some time.<br/>They sat down at the white stained bench at the beachside and the doctor's face changed in an instant. His eyebrow had lifted as he looked over at Jack. That look Jack Harkness felt meant  “Speak up and tell us what happened to you.” At least that's what Jack took that to mean from the older man's tired and wrinkled face. It was the only thing that made sense to him anyways. “Captain Jack Harkness and you are?” he grinned. “I'm Jo. That's  The Doctor next to me.” Jack had been proven correct and he was not mistaken this time. He would have to be careful with what he told them next. “It's nice to meet you again. Next time we meet over coffee we can talk about today. The first time we met Doctor you didn't mention you'd met me before. It's probably due to timelines it wasn't brought up. Both of you never hinted at meeting me this early. You have a long life to look forward to both of you. Now then the question I should ask  is why are you here? I feel it's more important than this mess”, he said while gesturing at the decaying corpses of fish still in one piece as unlikely as that was. They looked like they could have fallen out of the sky but that was not likely. The smell of the dead salmon was a slight distraction but he felt he could withstand it for a short period of time.</p><p>The stench was extremely unpleasant. Jack Harkness pinched his nose as he entered the park. The sight was disgusting. All over the sea side on the waterfront were the dead mutilated bodies of fish who had rotted supernaturally fast. “Of all the things I had to see after falling through the rift again, this isn't remotely close to what I wanted to see”, he grumbled. He looked around searching for signs of where he was until he saw it. It was a newspaper written in Italian. “At least I still have this on my side”, he said as he reached into his pocket to find the rift detector was still there. He sighed with relief at seeing its still fully intact state. </p><p>His stomach rumbled again once more. This time he had a place in mind that he had only seen in The Doctor's mind when their heads collided as they shared information to get things out of the way much quicker. It bothered him he would have to interact with The Master, but he'd do it.</p><p>This time at the dining table he was beat to it by a man who was a paradoxically fixed point and felt odd as a result. The server had said your companion was waiting for you. So more people were aware of what was happening perhaps. At least that's what it suggested to his mind.</p><p>Jack felt a peculiar kind of thirst coming upon him at the moment. Perhaps it was due to the water he had consumed while he was dead in the water. His mouth was slack wide open when he was in it. So without hesitation he came along to the café they had mentioned. He followed without his coat in hand hoping he would be let inside despite the current state of his attire. A nice glass of wine would help with his mood very nicely. Even smelling like a skunk didn’t hurt his charisma, turning up to eleven at the moment. Jack had known that The Doctor had worked in the past on earth, but he had never heard of him going to Italy with Jo Grant. He would have thought he would have seen that as he kept an eye on him so torchwood one couldn't get a hold of him and damage the timeline in the process. Something strange was going on, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was. Perhaps things would become clearer with the more information he acquired. Or it could become more complicated. He didn't know what was in store for him and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing really.</p><p>The restaurant's door was made out of an old, unpainted wood which seemed to almost match its outer walls, but somehow seemed off. It had several windows all of which were arched. The master had not carried for that before, but the boredom was getting to him. It had been longer than the last times they had come in the door. Something had happened and he couldn't sense The Doctor's mind. It left his own mind in a pickle. Then the doors creaked and inside stepped three people, only one of which was unknown to him. The mysterious person was wearing a large blue royal air force coat over a plaid button up shirt with a pair of slacks. Most of all, somehow, he was a fixed point, giving him a brief headache. It didn't take that long for all of them to reach his table. On a whim he had decided on a difference just slightly to the left of the one he had picked all times beforehand.</p><p>Through the ashes of this discontent Jack Harkness was bottling up his feelings. Before he had found himself here the last thing he could recall was saying goodbye to The Doctor and Martha in the millennium center. Normally he'd blame the rift but his vortex manipulator was silent. Everything was too silent. Having to work with the master was hard but he grudgingly did it. It's not like he'd done what he did to him at this point. He needed to get back home to Cardiff with Ianto.<br/>While We walked in the middle of the road of the detested seemingly streets my mind drifted to the man I had just met. There was something about him other than the part of his being that didn't make sense. It was like when he learned my name for a brief moment I could sense a great fear and terror radiating off the man named jack before it all went away. Whatever I must do in the future I don't want to know. I have my limits but regeneration can change a time lord even if the core is the same for the most part.<br/>The way they had become separated from the others was fuzzy. It had happened this time realizing this would all happen again had loosened Jos hesitation when it hit her she wouldn't have a hangover if the loop started back up. The Doctor and The Master were in a bar with them together. The wine was good but didn't do anything for them. Their brains not mush yet since they couldn't get drunk off really better juice just wandered around the town together just like they used to when they were much younger. At one point he got an idea for something to pass the time. While Jo and Jack had fallen in the midst of a drinking game with a English girl in a black dress the old friends found were knocking the wall methodically looking for anything out of the ordinary. By the time they found something Jo was out of the game and it was just Jack versus the stranger. By the time they figured out how to open the walled over staircase leading to the roof Jack had died of alcohol poisoning. He recovered quickly and saw the stairs when he woke up. The master stayed with Jo and the girl downstairs after she woke up. He had changed his mind and the doctor and Jack went up alone.<br/>I clasped my right hand with his and started to waltz. It was turning into a dark somber night with a starry night  decked over our heads. The doctor didn't know what was coming for him in the days to come and he intended to keep it that way. </p><p>In his mind he was alone. He had been left behind by his friends a very long time ago. It was true in a certain point of view, but objectively he knew most of his feelings were just fears he couldn't shake. An effect of the drums perhaps. They weren't so bad, but they gave him the feeling of always having a tiny bit of pressure on his mind the size of a button. It seemed to grow the older he got. Maybe it was due to age. He didn't see himself as a monster, no matter what others may think of his actions from what they've experienced .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jane meets Jo again and the doctor talks a bit with the master among other things</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The master was feeling depressed at the moment. The endless option of choosing to meet up at the restaurant simply because they all knew where it was was helpful, but slightly getting on his nerves. So he decided to say something. “Something about investigating a different location like this museum I saw. It was bothering me.” The rest of their faces took that into their minds to process. Then slowly and surely they all seemed to agree on that. Even Jack who was new to all of it. He wasn't sure if he would keep remembering any of this. The amorous miss grant could have been a fluke, but then again there were times when he was observing her and she did something without noticing that stalked him as inhuman. It wasn't like there were no other species that looked like them that were from some other place. It wasn't like he ever asked if she was adopted, that had never come up. Perhaps this was something to look into himself. It wouldn't hurt anyone if it was just a coincidence. <br/>
In a quiet moment, the master found himself as he sat by the bench by the marble sculpture foundation with mermaids adorning it. He was, simply put, feeling something profound. He had felt this confusion many times in the past, but not to this extent in quite a long time. He had ended up here when he realized the doctor didn't recognize what was going on in the second loop. He could see what was going on so he decided to take his sweet time a bit and enjoy the view that was behind the place. It  seemed rather strange but he didn't notice anything. He didn't think anything of it. Before he could bite his pink tongue in desperation for excitement, time reversed and he was back where he started. Maybe copying the thinker no longer was a good thing anyway. He left the hill once more, marching on into what he already knew was ahead.</p><p>They were sitting outside on a bench when the master spoke up, his hands rolling back and forth in his lap as he did so. “I'm not that well in my head”, he said.<br/>
I chuckled at my oldest friend, “Well I'm not either you know. Both of us are a therapist's wet dream. Our problems are numerous with varying degrees of severity”.</p><p>As they went through the motions through the time loops, multiple times finding nothing, they started to branch out. They covered the whole town, goofing off from their job they came for in the process. Jo Grant started to wonder what was so special about her that would allow her to remember the changes. Jane, while the times she met her did different things, didn't always recognize her and they would have to start it all from scratch, but after she caught on she always noticed. This wasn't a normal state of affairs for 20th century humans as far as she knew. She couldn't ask her uncle or her mother questions that could confirm something she suspected. Whatever the answer in the then and now she needed to find a way out of here. She was afraid of going insane from all of the loops. It was getting really out of hand.<br/>
Buying tickets at the museum when they went there every time was tedious, but not without its delights. Jack was found depending on when he went with everyone he was either talking to Giovano or Micalea. The thought of proposing something was promising, but fruitless at the moment.<br/>
Jane as she strolled through the town at night suddenly  heard a loud noise.  She turned her head to where she thought it came from. To her surprise, he was a tall, white man with large dimples and he was bleeding from a gunshot  wound in his chest. She, for a second, was overcome with fear. The last time she had seen a man bleeding from such a hole she was the one responsible and for some reason whenever she thought about it she didn't feel so good. She didn't understand why she reacted that way when she had no problem before. What she discovered the following month should have made her understand those feelings, but they just didn't. She took a deep breath, burying those feelings deep inside and ran towards them. Maybe this time this man wouldn't be lost. <br/>
Jane had told herself, at the time, what she had done was for the best. Going from place to place is no way to raise a child, especially when you're single. She left her baby on the doorstep of a hospital in a Welsh town where she knew no one before she left for France. A new start would be good for both of them, even if in a perfect world she would have liked to keep him. She had pulled the trigger when Bernard had dared her, however, she never actually checked if he had died. She assumed, but she didn't feel he could have survived considering the remote location of where it happened.<br/>
Jack had met her before but he didn't remember her name. Now  he was in the same place as her once again. At the end of the hallway with a person who he knew nothing about. The woman's whose name he didn't know looked scared. It was probably his injuries. <br/>
The group all sat down at the same table in a different part of the restaurant this time.<br/>
It was a mighty statue carved out of a block of ivory by one of the great masters during the Italian renaissance. The history behind it had been lost to time, but one thing about it was apparent to Jane with one glance. “I've never sat for a sculpture before, was it fun?” she said cheekily.<br/>
 “Yeah, plenty, it was a long time ago. I was still traveling with the doctor. The rest of my time there wasn't fun.” Jack looked down and his eyes sagged. That trip had begun so well. He ended up catching the eye of an artist and sat for a statue of a god. Being naked didn't really bother him really. He had almost died alongside Rose. It was far more scary to him then than it was now.<br/>
Jane felt a bit gassy but she held it in tightly. She excused herself to quickly go to the bathroom and sighed when she looked in the mirror. She was sweating a fierce storm on her brow and chuckled. It seemed to just be nerves. It was quite a stressful situation.<br/>
“You will lose her some day, you know. All of your companions do. I will never understand how you can stand it” said the master, letting out a puff of smoke from his thin cigarette. They sat outside in a courtyard under an olive tree.<br/>
The doctor, upon hearing this, reacted how you would expect him to.<br/>
“Of course I do, but that doesn't mean it's not worth it. We all do end eventually. It's better to do what you enjoy with friends then sit there in fear. I won’t be with them forever, but it's the quality rather than the quantity of time that really matters. Back home, with all the time we have, we have stagnated. Since their lifespans are so much shorter, they advance by greater bounds. It's something I greatly admire.”<br/>
He rubbed his hands together as he talked, looking ahead at the sky. It was a calm day with white clouds above the two of them with no rain in sight.<br/>
The Master's face stilled, “Our conflicts I would prefer to do without most of the time. There is some truth in that of what you just said. Otherwise I'll be there as long as I can. ”<br/>
 The kind of faith Jack showed for the doctor baffled Jane. It was the kind that led to great sacrifices and great losses. From what he described, she understood the doctor wasn't the same man he had first known while he traveled with him. Time travel she could grasp, but that just made it worse. Time changes people, she would know. He understood all too well. Jack had met people out of order before, but a person's core would rarely change. Put down to it, he would trust the doctor to get them out of this loop. The master not so much. He would still work with them, but it didn't mean he liked it. Sure the toture was not present, but it was still not great to think about. The different faces helped greatly. He would be delighted to be proven wrong in this case.<br/>
Then again  the master could have sworn  something was in the corner of their eye but when he looked again  nothing was amiss. It was like when he looked at it it existed but when he didn't it was not there. It was perplexing. Then there was a laugh. It had come from Jo whose face was flushed red. This confused him very much. Then she stopped and said something along the lines of she didn't know what came over herself. He couldn't think of any reasons to argue with that. So in response he said nothing as they walked through the street. The master wasn't used to this anymore. It had been longer than he had let on since he had last been on earth in this time period. His tardis still traveled in time and he had gotten in a pickle for a while. He realized he missed the unit and the doctor. He just wanted to have fun once more.<br/>
Then later on when time had begun again Jo had decided to go for a walk on a road she hadn't traveled before. What she found there wasn't pleasant entirely but she did meet a familiar face by chance.<br/>
With a loud punch she asserted her feelings towards him. “What you said was uncalled for.” Jane hissed.<br/>
 “It's fine, I wasn't that bothered,” Jo said, lying. Blood was still on her knuckles as she stood over the unconscious man. <br/>
“I have lied about things before over more serious things. Don't kid yourself. So are you in town for work or what?.” <br/>
“It's for work. I was just going to meet up with a colleague for dinner before I start tomorrow. I guess you live around here then?” <br/>
Jane smiled, “Yeah for the past five years.” She wiped off her hand and offered it to Jo. She took it and they walked off talking. She was an interesting woman. From the looks of it, she seemed full of contradictions. Jo walked around in current fashions, but worked for an international organization that was part of the UN.<br/>
Then she rolled up her sleeves and Jo blushed looking. The discussion was nice, but not that helpful right now. There had to be an end to all of this she thought. Then she realized there was something she had never asked Jane that could finally lead to something new.  <br/>
“What kind of job has your brother working constantly?” <br/>
“He works at an embassy. His boss just died.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The master learns the truth as reality starts to fall apart</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the different loops when Jane recognized Jo, they started to talk about the story Jane had started a while ago about a man and a woman stuck in an endless loop going through the motions which only ends when the girl does what she never wanted to do. She found it ironic she was stuck in a variation of something she wrote. Jo felt like she was going mad. When she closed her eyes the world became silent and all she could see was a vortex full of color.</p><p>With a debonair glare he had braced himself for this. Nothing had come at him though. It was perplexing. The sight was welcome. He walked around it, finding nothing odd in the brown room. The statues were where they were supposed to be and where still as white as ever. He had seen one of them he had recognized from before, but it still had paint on at the time. It looked much better now that there was no clash or the giant eyesore it once was. Sometimes decay can get good results, though, not always. The master wouldn’t understand the irony of that until much later when he was on the brink of his end. His drive would pay off eventually. <br/>It was as he had described it. It was a police box with a familiar shade of blue. Jane had seen them before back in England, but it seemed off somehow. It wasn't  a shade of blue she had ever seen before, but it was still blue while the windows weren't right. It felt like a replica. But when she tried to open the door it felt warm and it wouldn't budge for her. It was like it had a conscience. Now that she looked back on it he had said something about it having a mind of its own. Maybe that wasn't a case of hyperbole. It was a bit taller than her. She was almost the same height actually.</p><p> So now Jack was metaphorically on the edge of a cliff, hanging on to an old decoration in the museum's stone molding  connected to the roof along with the master. Jo stood in the plaza overlooking the side he was on in horror. She was going to have to get up there somehow to help. She had to think of something fast. Between her and the doctor at least she knew they'd think of something. The fact that she didn't know how to contact the doctor when the building had terrible reception didn't cross her mind as fear overtook her.</p><p>Her eyes darted around as she looked around, hoping for anything, even a ladder. She didn't find anything on the ground floor except for what was attached to a pole. She quickly ripped off the Italian flag. She was grateful to see Jane. Jo immediately offered up the other ends of the flag as she explained what was going on before they quickly moved to be under the two in trouble.<br/>“ You are going to have to trust us.” The step ledge was not meant to hold the weight of a grown adult of any species, let alone a time lord and a human. So, taking a leap of faith, they jumped down towards the spread out flag. They were reunited now.</p><p>There it was. The grand majestic behemoth of a building that stood as a monument of great historical architecture. The one they had been inside the last loop was lit aflame on the northern side. He felt disgruntled listening to the screams of all the terrified people. His face took on a menacing glare, but then went back to an aura of composure. “I have had enough of this nonsense”, the master said tiredly. The smiling doctor, holding his companions hands, concurred with that sentiment.<br/>Jack looked angry, but Jane felt resigned to it. She could smell the flesh burning. It was repulsive, but she knew there was a chance this would reverse itself again. <br/>The multifaceted green lawn was misleading. To not just one  but all of the senses. Jack looked up at the night sky and smiled dying from the loss of blood. Time reversed before it could take hold. He was back where it had all started. He didn't know how many times it had happened at this point. He had lost track and it was even more for everyone else. He didn't even know fencing swords could do that. It was an odd feeling.</p><p>The ticking of an old clock dominated my ears to the point of discussion. All of us were at the same table united once again joined by Jane's brother. Of all the times I've met her in these loops the fact that she never brought up where her brother worked was surprising. So here now The Doctor and Jo were interviewing him about what had happened as I observed sipping tea. Harkness not preferring tea was something I could see in his eyes. They were rather unhappy at the moment.  Her brother sat in his work clothes a blue suit with a black tie, his blonde hair sticking to his head from the heat. The room had no air conditioning and everyone was affected by the heat except Jack. He looked like he was used to this kind of weather.</p><p>The scents of marigold, alabaster and coriander filled my nose as I picked up the glass of tea. My sister looked a bit nervous but I didn't want to ask why. It doesn't feel like the right thing to do in the moment after all. She's been acting a bit strange as of late. I don't get why. I've been feeling sometimes today like this isn't the first time I've done today but that's impossible right?</p><p>“You're Not my brother are you? He's been dead for years” I didn't know how I didn't realize what about all of this was bothering me. There was a part of me that was screaming about the wrongness of this that I ignored and I let myself be happy for the first time in a  long time even if something was off about this. <br/>His face looked like he didn't know I was talking about. For all I knew he didn't. I had no proof either way except my memories and these events so far have soon how reliable they can be at times.<br/>“I don't understand of course I'm your brother who else would I be?” he just seemed flabbergasted.<br/>“Memories cat make a person. We can be copied fully but there are some things that can't. It took your reaction when I talked about cricket to figure it out. His passion for it always showed itself in his voice. You didn't when you did. Even so it's nice to have family again but you won't replace him. You need to become your own person.”<br/>Then he started to fade as he glitched out. Slowly pixel by pixel he was gone and Jane was the only one in the room. She stared down at the floor where he once was and let out a nervous breath.<br/>“I was so willing to believe I was 25 I  ignored the voices in my head and now here I am by myself all again. It's all repeating itself like it always does. I get attached and it all falls apart.”<br/>She felt like she was breaking down.</p><p><br/>The shape his face had taken for the brief moment his defenses were down was telling. He had been through a lot I could tell and was at the end of his rope. To say how much he missed coffee like that was a kind of red flag. He was a bottle of issues. I quickly decided my response.</p><p>His dress shoes made loud squeaks as he made his way through the building. The corridors blended together to the point it compounded his anger. The master was all alone now and it was not doing good for his temper. It was like he was going through loops . Then he realized that was the case. Then he found a small office door the fourth time after he realized that and pushed it open. Inside he found that server who was eating a plate of spaghetti. He looked different however. He was decked out in a purple suit and he finally figured out what had bothered him about the man when they had first met.<br/>“Given your me I'm not going to remember this, am I?”<br/>“No you're not. I don't remember anything from this event until the aftermath until I started living it. I remember now but it's two late to act on what I've learned. I've become stuck on this planet like our old friend. It was her idea, the doctor. Being stuck here isn't the best in this body though. She stranded me amongst Nazis in Paris during their war. It wasn't that fun of a night. She's gotten colder. I've missed him. You know it was less complicated when I was you.” his face teared up just a little bit.<br/>He was stunned “ What in the name of ”<br/>He cut him off before he could finish “Anyway I should leave right about now. Any longer and there might be damage. You'll be out of this soon enough.”<br/>His lips were parched The Doctor felt. He had several glasses of water but it hasn't seemed to help at all.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The doctor and jo may be free now but there is still others to help.  Jane talks to jack for the last time telling him something unexpected.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Doctor screamed as he awoke tearing   through the thick veins of the white plant. The other ones were still stuck but they looked like they would break soon  anyways from the strain the constant changes in the dreams caused. They were surprised to find seeds for them on earth but it gave him cause to see his old friend before it all went wrong for them. The other people were just bonuses. He wasn't originally going to plant them all but boredom was a cruel mistress. I just sat in my metal modern style chair watching from the other room on the lower floor. Maybe now was a good time for him to leave he started to think. While it had been nice testing out the equipment while I've been stuck on this planet without my tardis thanks to her it's best to not see him as it is. It would two tempting for me to say something I would feel guilty about later on. I enjoyed our battles a great deal when i was closer to that age but that was best left in the past i feel. Even though I've had time to think since I've been stuck on this green dirt ball I don't feel it would be worth it. Even if I did care about the timelines there's no point in interacting when he would have to forget anyway because of the timeline.  He was getting Jo Grant out of the vines that were still grabbing on to her arms when I had my brown suitcase in hand. I sighed as I pressed some buttons on the vortex manipulator on my wrist and left the building. It was always going to end somehow he knew but that didn't take away the resonation and sadness he felt when he left closing a chapter once more.</p><p>“Why out of anything it had to be a plant from andromeda?” The Doctor grumbled loudly as he and Jo walked down a grey corridor. “It felt so real. Was it some kind of hallucinogen  from space?” Jo was confused as she swept  gunk off her dress leaving a trail behind in her wake. “Yes.” The Doctor wasn't surprised that Jo got it that quick. Jo always was more than she looked; she just used it in unconventional ways.</p><p>How it had gotten there escaped his mind at the possibilities none of which would be good. He sensed him and knew he wasn't imaging him through the shared hallucination. “We can't leave here yet. Some of those people might have been real” The Doctor spoke to Jo hastily.</p><p>Jo felt worried. She knew personally all she saw was just inside her head but what she saw still weighed heavily on her head. Maybe it would all vanish from her mind someday but that wasn't today. She just had to deal with it as she looked for The Master along with The Doctor in the corridors. She was getting sick on ones that all looked the same at this point. The amount of places that had the same architect was getting ridiculous she thought.<br/>Then he saw it. The door was open and slowly they walked inside.<br/>Inside the small room was The Master, Captain Harkness and Miss Burroughs who were all still stuck in the vines still stuck thinking where they were was real. This would have to be a very delicate process or he could damage one of them terribly. He would do all they could to help them get out of there. He didn't know what to say just yet but he would improvise .He always hid his mind and went two fast for him not to be able to do so. <br/>He sat down in front of The Master and just breathed. “Jo listen closely. I'm going to need your help.”</p><p>He cried and cried and cried. He didn't remember anything from the plants induced haze. The only reason he could think of for this he didn't have proof but why would he keep a reminder of the future. Theta when they met up in the hallway had acted like they were children once more. He was shocked but he didn't stop him. He wouldn't bring it up but he knew what he must have said. A casualty loop was the only thing he remembered in his mind.<br/> <br/>Now as she was about to leave with him faraway into time she stopped for a sec.<br/>“Harkness can you do me a favor?” Jane said wistfully.<br/>He replied quite quietly “Sure.”<br/>“ I left my son in Cardiff where you said you worked. Can you see if he's happy? That's all I want. I don't think he would believe I was who I was with how young I am. I was trapped in that place for two long. I still remember where I left his basket like a package. I left him on the doorstep of a house with the last name Jones. ” <br/>“They sounded like they were natives. It was a man who opened the door. He was pale with brown hair with a slender face. I can still hear him yelling towards his wife. At least i thought it was his wife”<br/> <br/>His eyes changed open hearing that but she didn't notice it. “Ok .” That last name was still very common but he had the worst luck as of late. If this time it was a different family by that name he would look. It would be awkward though. If they crossed paths he wouldn't fib. It wasn't like it was all bad. He had someone waiting for him back home .</p><p>Now that Jane and Jack had left it was just The Master, The Doctor and Jo together in the tardis. The atmosphere of the console room where the only colorful things were what they wore and on the console itself was unconventional. The master wearing for once not a Nehru suit jacket but a striped button up shirt was introspective inside his mind. Jo was relieved. When they landed the doctor just let the master go off into the distance knowing full well what he would do.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. epilouge</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Missy revisits a place she's been before</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The outside of the building was the same as  she remembered it now. It had been years but its structure was the same on the outside. The immaculate marble structure where he had been trapped in some kind of haze in a scenario of his own design that she didn't understand until she had become him. The distance had allowed her to have a new perspective. The anger she had was justified she still felt but she felt mellower. She hadn't been in this body for that long  but she was looking forward to what came next. Missy felt ready more than she had ever felt.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I wrote this bit before I got spoiled about who The lumiat is and the page from that dw annual   but I still like this last bit.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>